**Chapter 20**
“I’ll handle the matter with Nanny Pamela. Neglecting the treatment of the young lady she serves is indeed a grave crime.”
“Right, it’d be troublesome if any harm came to my body.”
“You understand well. So, behave properly. Get yourself together.”
Damian left, leaving behind a cold atmosphere. Only then did Eliano remember—in her past life, around this time, she had been quite affectionate toward Damian. She hadn’t hesitated to express her fondness for him.
“Damian! Call me noona, okay? I was born before you!”
She had thought they were twins. Twins were supposed to be two halves of one whole. Even though he had been as cold then as he was now, never offering a single warm word, she had felt closer to him than to Isabella simply because they were twins.
“Eliano, want to know something? Between the two of us, you were born first.”
It was Damian who had told her that she was the elder one. A sudden thought crossed Eliano’s mind—
What if Damian has known for a long time that I’m illegitimate?
His cold demeanour might have been because he knew she wasn’t his real twin. A shiver ran down her spine. She had never forgotten the threatening letter Damian had sent, demanding she return the family heirloom.
—
Pamela only returned after Eliano had recovered. Eliano sighed inwardly. It was a shame the Elasom had healed her so quickly.
‘He beats me with a whip and then gives me precious Elasom as medicine? Talk about giving poison and then the antidote.’
Gritting her teeth, Eliano welcomed Pamela back. She couldn’t dismiss Pamela just for neglecting her treatment—not yet. Meanwhile, Lavender, the brown-haired maid who had become Eliano’s personal attendant, glanced around nervously.
“Did youfare well in my absence, young lady?”
“Yes, Nanny. I missed you.”
Pamela grinned widely at Eliano’s words. Isabella had mentioned that she would soon take action. Since Pamela would be dealt with shortly, Eliano could affod to humor her for now.
‘More importantly, I need to ask Isabella if she found my magical tool…’
Part of her wanted to grab Pamela by the collar and shake her until she confessed. But if she did that, the sharp-witted nurse might hide it somewhere even harder to find.
“You’ve only missed me, right, young lady?”
“Of course, Nanny. Only you. You must’ve felt neglected, haven’t you?”
Eliano smiled innocently, like a naive child. Pamela beamed, seemingly genuinely pleased. For a moment, Eliano felt proud of her acting skills—she still had the old nurse fooled.
“Young lady, as a peace offering, I’ll bring you some chocolate cake.”
Pamela fussed over preparing a delicious snack, clearly trying to win back favor. Once Pamela left the room, Eliano whispered to Lavender.
“Lavender, ask Isabella if she found *that item*. She’ll know what you mean.”
“Yes, young lady.”
Lavender quickly slipped out of the room.
Pamela needed to be removed as soon as possible.
—
In high society, just as important information w exchanged in gentlemen’s clubs, so too did it flow in ladies’ tea parties. Sometimes, the quality of the gossip was so high that young noblemen would swarm like moths to a flame, offering to escort the ladies just to catch a useful titbit. Today, however, there were no such moths.
In her past life, Eliano had been the kind of person who wouldn’t understand valuable information even if it was spoken right in front of her. When conversations grew too complicated, she would zone out discreetly. And rather than risk dozing off embarrassingly, she often chose to stroll in the garden with like-minded young ladies.
But now, things were different. Eliano listened intently, her eyes gleaming as she absorbed every word.
“My aunt in Nymphs saw barbarians.”
“Oh my! What do barbarians look like? Do they really have hair all over their bodies and horns on their heads?”
“I heard they have two horns.”
Light laughter spread through the group. Eliano smiled too—she found their curiosity endearing.
“They don’t have horns, just different clothing,” the young lady clarified, describing the barbarians in detail from her aunt’s letter.
Eliano, who knew the so-called barbarians well, listened with half an ear while thinking:
‘So the Sharais are making contact with the Papacy.’
The Sharais were a nomadic people who roamed the continent. Each of them was a formidable warrior, known for their bold and hearty nature. Yet, the world dismissed them as barbarians—simply because they didn’t worship the gods and had no fixed homeland.
“Barbarians are such a problem! They should be driven off the continent! How can they not believe in the gods? They must be heretics, worshipping something vile. And they keep trying to invade our lands!”
“Where do these barbarians even come from?”
“There’s a rumor that many barbarians hide on Britten Island.”
“Goodness! That’s Bianteca’s territory!”
(Technically, it was a disputed territory between Bianteca and Zacador.)
“We should just stop the Zacadorians from setting foot on Britten Island! Ban them completely!”
One naive young lady’s suggestion was met with enthusiastic nods. The group agreed that Bianteca should send troops to push Zacador back. Sensing the need to intervene, Eliano spoke up.
“But Britten Island…”
Her clear voice silenced the room. The once frivolous first princess of Rossana had become someone who couldn’t be ignored.
Her words now carried weight.
“…is a sacred island with the Grand Temple. It’s a divine sanctuary—war must never be waged there.”
“Oh, really?”
“Yes. It’s protected by the Holy Knights of Nymphs. According to scripture, it was once a sanctuary of the elves. Shedding blood there could bring a curse.”
All temples on the continent were extraterritorial, sacred spaces. Even criminals who took refuge inside couldn’t be arrested without formal requests. The Holy Knights would handle intruders themselves.
And overseeing all these temples was the Papacy of Nymphs—a neutral city-state that mediated between nations and safeguarded peace.
The biggest disruptors of peace, of course, were Bianteca and Zacador, always at each other’s throats. Though Nymphs was respected as a holy nation, it lacked the power to control the great nations.
“A curse? Isn’t that just superstition?”
“Please don’t mock my faith.”
The young lady quickly apologized. Eliano was no longer the angelic princess of before—people had to watch their words around her now. At times, she was even harder to handle than the famously strict Princess Sanders.
“Then should we just… hand Britten Island over to Nymphs? Haha, that’d be ridiculous, right?”
The mood lightened as Eliano chose not to press further.
Lady Hyren, the daughter of the Northern Margrave, didn’t hide her disdain.
“Why should Bianteca give its territory to Nymphs? No matter how neutral they are, they’re still a foreign nation. The sovereignty belongs to Bianteca.”
Despite being humiliated and kicked out of a tea party before, Lady Hyren still roamed high society freely.
Eliano had been slightly surprised when the lady sent an apology letter afterwards. She had assumed Lady Hyrne was just a reckless, ill-mannered noble girl who didn’t understand social rules—but it seemed she simply hadn’t respected Eliano.
It was irritating, but Eliano forgave her easily. After all, she herself had been pitiable in the past. Besides, Lady Hyrne wasn’t even worth crushing—just a child who nervously asked,
“You’re not going to kick me out again today, right?”
“The territorial dispute with Zacador isn’t just about expanding land. It’s a power struggle.”
Lady Hyrne, true to her Northern roots, spoke boldly. Her eyes burnt with passion, as if she’d bite Zacador’s throat out given the chance. Eliano found her somewhat cute.
A bored-looking young lady caught Eliano’s eye and mouthed,
“Shall we go to the garden?”
But Eliano shook her head slightly. She wouldn’t miss even the smallest piece of information.
—
As the tea party ended, the young ladies left one by one with their escort knights. Watching the composed knights, Eliano smiled faintly. She too headed toward her carriage under her knight’s escort.
Just as she was about to board, Lady Hyren called out.
“Princess!”
Her voice was so loud that Eliano nearly lost her balance. Fortunately, her knight caught her in time. Lady Hyren looked horrified.
“S-Sorry! I didn’t mean to! I just… wanted to call you quickly…”
“I know it wasn’t intentional.”
Lady Hyren pulled out an envelope from her dress—clearly an invitation, and an elaborately prepared one.
“It’s an invitation. And I… really like riding clubs.”
“Not a hunting competition?”
Lady Hyren’s eyes widened.
“Lady Hyrne, you’re from the Northern Marks. I thought you’d enjoy hunting.”
“I don’t like animal hunting…! More like… monsters… I mean…”
She stammered, realizing her mistake.
Unlike the safe capital, the North was plagued by monsters. Annual monster attacks were common, and everyone—including nobles—participated in hunts. To Lady Hyren, hunting monsters that threatened their lands was natural. But would a refined capital lady understand?
Princess Rossana seemed like the type who’d find hunting barbaric. Lady Hyren vowed never to mention monsters around her again.
Eliano smiled gently.
“Both sound impressive. Though animals are pitiful…”
Lady Hyren brightened.
“I think so too! But wild boars ruin crops, so we have to protect the peasants.”
“Of course. We’re nobles, after all.”
Eliano opened the invitation.
“Veronica Hyren cordially invites you to her riding club…”
“So you run a riding club.”
“Yes! But if you don’t ride, you can decline.”
Lady Hyren wasn’t polished in social graces—she spoke bluntly. But Eliano didn’t take offense. There was no malice in her words, just honesty.
“If I can see the famous Hyren steeds, I’d love to attend.”
“Of course! I actually brought some to the capital! I’ll show you!”
Eliano smiled warmly.
“Then I’ll see you at the riding club. May the fairies of fortune bless you.”
“And may they bless you too, Princess.”
As the carriage rolled away, Eliano leaned back, closing her eyes.
In her past life, she had never attended a riding club—Pamela had never allowed it. Even in Zacador, riding clubs were a men’s domain; she had only ever watched hunting competitions as a spectator.
This would be a new experience.
—
The moment she returned, Eliano noticed Pamela’s absence. Puzzled, she headed to her room, where Lavender greeted her with a cheerful voice.
“Nanny Pamela is injured and resting in her room.”
Lavender’s face was full of glee.
Eliano blinked. Pamela wasn’t the type to leave her side unless her legs were broken. *No—even with broken legs, she’d crawl to keep watch.* Was she on death’s door?
“Her vision must’ve blurred—she fell down the stairs. They say she tumbled so hard she broke her right leg.”
“And then, as misfortune would have it, the head maid was carrying a heavy load and got so startled that she dropped it… right onto Nanny Pamela’s left leg.”
Eliano’s eyes sparkled with amusement.
